“Lotus Love” Chapter 21- Chengdu: Final Stop on the Long Journey Home

When the baby was one month old, Jennifer and Tsering were finally able to move into their new home.  The City of Albany had completed the lead abatement and rehab work as promised and they were given the clear to move in.  Tsering continued to work through the summer months at the hospital while Jennifer had the summer months off from teaching.  She fell into her role as mother quite naturally and enjoyed cooking and home-making in their new home.  Tsering was able to take a two-week vacation from his job and they drove out to Padma Samye Ling to join the sangha for the summer Dharma retreats.  Jennifer’s father flew in from Seattle to spend time with the new family and greet his new grand-daughter.  Together they all rejoiced in the preciousness of life while receiving Dharma teachings from the Khenpo Rinpoches in the morning and attending fire pujas in the meadow in the afternoon.  They also visited the nearby State Park to swim in the pristine waters of the Oquaga Creek reservoir and went out for ice cream in the small town of Walton.

Jennifer returned to her French teaching post in the Fall, but as the Upper School teacher this time.  She would teach grades seven through twelve, including a small section of Advanced Placement.  It was a big load to carry but she was excited to take on the challenge.  Jennifer was ready to get back to work after three lovely months with their new baby.  She had found a wonderful woman to take care of the baby while she and Tsering would both be at work during the day.  Lucinda sent her children to Doane Stuart, the private school where Jennifer worked, and her youngest child had been one of Jennifer’s students the previous school year.  She provided childcare to babies in her home for working mothers like Jennifer.  She was a perfect fit for Jennifer and Tsering.  They felt so comfortable with Lucinda as she was such a nurturing person.  She was very supportive of Jennifer’s decision to strictly breast-feed the baby.  Jennifer would pump her milk at work and bring the two bottle supply for the next day fresh to the sitter in the afternoon when she picked the baby up.  Sometimes Lucinda would have a delicious dinner to send home with Jennifer.  Knowing that Baby Maureen was in such capable and loving hands made Jennifer’s transition back to work much easier.

As Jennifer and Tsering settled into a routine of work and family, the monotony of the house-holder’s life was counterbalanced by the daily joys of discovery that having a new baby in the house brings.  One day in October, Jennifer’s Mother called to share the news that her Grandfather had passed away.  Like his wife, he had died peacefully in his sleep.  The family gathered in Scarsdale for the funeral and Jennifer was asked to speak at the funeral service.  She had delivered the eulogy at her Grandmother’s service as well, but found speaking at her Grandfather’s funeral more difficult.  She struggled with her grief and let her emotions get the best of her.  Jennifer was so thankful to have been able to live with her Grandfather the two years before she left for India.  She was also grateful that he was able to meet his great-grand-daughter before he passed.

After the funeral, Jennifer and Tsering returned back to their work routine in Albany.  Over the winter break, they took a vacation in Palm Beach, Florida to visit with her mother and the sangha in Lake Worth.  Throughout the winter months, Tsering continued to study English with a passion.  He took an interest in learning how to drive.  Jennifer got him a New York State driving manual to study in preparation for the learner’s permit written test.  There was no alternate test available in Tibetan, so Tsering would have to study really hard in order to pass.  He had never taken a multiple-choice style test before, so it was going to be challenging.  It would be good practice for him in anticipation of the US Citizenship test he would be eligible to take in just a year’s time.  After studying the driving manual religiously for a month, Tsering sat the test and passed.  He was issued a learner’s driving permit and Jennifer took him out for lessons in her little “Green Tara” VW.  Tsering was thrilled to be driving.  Back home in Tibet, all of Tsering’s brothers were professional drivers.  They owned trucks and construction vehicles and made their living off of driving.  As a monk, Tsering was expected to be driven by his brothers and friends.  Now in America, he was free to drive himself and he relished in his new found freedom.  Jennifer was surprised by how quickly Tsering picked up the often difficult concept of the clutch.  He told her that he had watched and learned from his brothers secretly all those years back in Tibet.  His dream was finally coming to fruition.

Jennifer was also pleased to learn that Tsering had a natural knack with mechanics as well.  Whenever her VW had mechanical problems, as they often do, Tsering was able to diagnose and fix the problem– another skill he picked up from years of observing his brothers back home in Tibet.  Once Tsering was confident behind the wheel and had fulfilled the required driving course time at the local driving school, he took the actual driving test.  Unfortunately he failed the first time out because his tire hit the curb when he was asked to parallel park.  Jennifer thought this was ridiculous but there was nothing to do other than take the test again a second time.  Jennifer made sure to take Tsering out for a drive every day to practice parallel parking before the second test.  By the time the scheduled day came he was an expert at parallel parking.  Tsering passed the test and was issued a New York State driver’s license.

As a home owner, Tsering was a natural Mr. Fix It.  Their home was over one hundred fifty years old and even though they had bought it in good condition, there was always something in need of repair.  Tsering quickly learned the art of plumbing, a skill he did not learn back home in Tibet because they didn’t have plumbing in his village.  One of the selling points of the house was that the basement had a workshop with a built-in table saw.  Tsering had learned the craft of carpentry from his brothers and used the shop to build furniture.  Jennifer was grateful to have a partner that was equipped with these essential home owner’s skills.  Tsering gave the out-dated bathroom a renovation and installed a deep soaker tub for Jennifer who loved to use it as a spa on cold winter nights.  He also finished an extra room for the family in the basement of the home that served as a rec room, spare bedroom and office.

By the end of Jennifer’s second year of teaching at Doane Stuart, it became clear to her that she was not being compensated enough for her hard work and effort.  She and Tsering were barely making enough money to make ends meet every month.  She decided to resign from her position at the end of the school year and spend the summer months getting certified so she could work in the public school system.  In order to get provisionally certified, she would need to earn eighteen credits in ten weeks.  She was able to earn most of the credits through self-study and online exams.  However, she was required to take six of the credits in a traditional classroom setting.  For these courses, she commuted an hour and a half each way to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for two weeks where she was able to earn 3 credits per week in full-day week-long sessions.  It was a busy summer, but by mid-August she had earned her eighteen credits, passed the New York State Teacher’s Exams and was ready for employment.  She sent out her letters of interest with her resume to several districts in the area and within a week she was hired.  A small rural school district in Greene County, just forty minutes South of Albany was in need of a High School French teacher.  She accepted the offer and within months had almost doubled her yearly salary.  The decision to become certified turned out to be a wise investment.

Jennifer and Tsering made another large investment decision that year. Tsering’s dream of having his own business was just as strong as ever and with a huge helping hand from Jennifer’s mother, Maureen, they purchased a commercial property in downtown Albany. 467 Madison Avenue was a great retail location, at the corner of the city’s largest park and just one block from its most popular pedestrian shopping street. Many small businesses, restaurants, and bars were located in the Lark Street neighborhood and they were sure that this location was a smart investment for their future business. Tsering had wanted to open a restaurant but Jennifer convinced him to start small with a Tibetan-themed Gift Shop. Jennifer knew she would not have time to operate a restaurant on top of her teaching load and family life. She was also still earning her master’s degree. A gift shop was all she could handle at this time. Maureen and her brother had sold the Florida apartment they had jointly inherited from Jennifer’s grandfather, much to Jennifer’s dismay. She had such fond memories of winter vacations spent there since her infancy– it was the last physical constant in her life that she could remember. But Maureen worried about her “nest-egg” during hurricane season and decided it was wiser to sell it. The upside of the condo’s sale was that Maureen so generously offered to help purchase the commercial property with Jennifer and Tsering. So together with Maureen, they purchased the a two-story commercial property that had a large retail space on the ground level and a rental unit on the second story. They did not have inventory, yet, so they left the retail space empty with hopes of traveling back to Tibet where they would do their first purchasing. In the meantime, Tsering started a small hand-painted furniture venture, using the retail space’s sidewalk window to display his brightly-painted furniture with Tibetan motifs. Every so often, a passerby would see his work in the window and call for a purchase.

Tsering had been in the United States as a resident alien for three years at this point.  He received an interview date in the mail from the local INS in Latham.  He was scheduled to come in for an interview to test his English speaking and writing skills as well as his civic knowlege of American history and government.  Although Tsering was continuously studying the English language and had made great progress in three years time, Jennifer wanted to be sure he was fully prepared before the interview date.  She did not want to take any chances.  She drove to the INS office and inquired about test preparation materials.  The officer she spoke with gave her a list of 100 possible questions Tsering might be asked during the test.  Jennifer reviewed the questions with Tsering and helped him study the correct answers.  Most of the questions were pretty basic and reasonable, but there were some that Jennifer had trouble answering herself, a college graduate who had taken Advanced Placement American History in high school.  Tsering took his study guide to work with him everyday at the hospital, asking co-workers to quiz him on breaks.  By the time the interview date arrived, Tsering had worn the study guide so thin from constant use that it was barely legible.  But he knew the answers to all one hundred questions like the palm of his hand.  He was ready.

On the big day, Jennifer took the day off from work and accompanied Tsering to the INS Office for moral support.  They were both so excited.  If he passed the interview, he would not only be granted US citizenship but the right to a US passport as well.  With a US passport, he would be able to apply for a visa and permit from the Chinese government to travel home to Tibet.  Tsering had left home over six years earlier and not seen a single family member since.  Tsering never regretted his decision to leave home and was grateful to have escaped from Tibet in order to enjoy the freedoms of democracy in India and America.  Even though he had found love in India and started a family of his own in America,  part of his heart would always be back home in Tibet with his family.  There was a lot at stake that day.

Tsering was called for his interview and Jennifer was asked to wait in the lobby.  She gave Tsering a big smile for confidence and then silently recited mantras for him while she waited.  She was reminded of the time Tsering had his immigration visa interview in Delhi, only this time Tsering was completely on his own.  She could not help him this time.  But she knew how hard Tsering had prepared himself for this and was confident he would do just fine.

Twenty minutes later, Tsering came out with a nervous smile on his face. Jennifer knew something had gone wrong. “What happened Tsering? Did you not pass?” she asked.

“I got perfect score on questions, Jenni, but I didn’t spell a word correctly so I did not pass.’

“What?! You failed your interview because of a spelling error?! What word did you spell incorrectly?”

“The word was ‘sunny.’ He asked me to write the sentence ‘Today is a sunny day.'”

“And how did you spell it?”

“I forgot to write two ‘n’s. I wrote ‘suny’ instead of ‘sunny.'”

“This is crazy! You mean you got every single question correct and then failed the entire exam because of a single missing letter? I need to speak to someone about this. This just isn’t right.” Jennifer crossed the room to the window where she asked the clerk behind the counter if she could speak with the officer who had just administered Tsering’s interview.

“I’m sorry, but the officer is busy with another interview,” the woman behind the glass explained.

“Is there a supervisor I can speak to, then,” Jennifer inquired.

“That isn’t possible. All decisions made by the officers are final. I’m sure the officer gave him a second interview date. He can come back and try again then.”

“But he studied for months for this interview. He got every single question right. The officer failed him because he spelled one word wrong. This isn’t fair. Is there a stipulation somewhere that requires all US Citizens to be perfect spellers?! The English language is full of idiosyncratic spellings– how is it that an English as a second language speaker is being judged ready for citizenship based on his spelling? I could understand if the spelling of the word impeded comprehension of the meaning, but his error didn’t. Anyone who reads his sentence ‘Today is a suny day’ is going to understand that he meant to write ‘sunny.’ It’s obvious. Listen, I’m a language teacher. We are taught to not penalize students for minor spelling errors that don’t impede comprehension. Sure, a small point here or there can be deducted, but failing a student completely for one single missing letter?! This is insane!”

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I don’t make the rules. It’s completely left up to the judgement of the officer who conducts the interview.”

“So there’s no rubric set up for scoring? It’s completely subjective?”

“Perhaps you might want to bring a lawyer with you next time. They are permitted to witness the interview. Things tend to have better outcomes when lawyers are involved.”

“He shouldn’t have to bring a lawyer. He should be able to earn his citizenship fair and square. I am very disappointed in this biased and archaic system. So much for ‘justice and equality for all.'” Jennifer turned and left, thoroughly disgusted with the entire process. For Tsering’s sake she tried to stay positive. “Don’t worry, Tsering, you did your best. They should have passed you. We’ll bring a lawyer next time.”

Tsering’s second interview was scheduled for the next month. Their friend Sonam gave them the name of an immigration lawyer who had helped other Tibetans in the Upstate area before. They met with the lawyer who was equally disgusted but not at all surprised by the outcome of Tsering’s initial interview. She assured them that if they chose to hire her to bear witness at the second interview, Tsering definitely would be passed. “I’m sorry that the system is set up like this, but that’s just the way it works. You’ll pay me for an hour and a half of my time to meet you at INS and sit in on your interview. Believe me, the officer won’t dare to fail you for mis-spelling the word ‘sunny’ with me in the room. Although I’m sure you’ll never forget how to spell that word ever again!”

Jennifer and Tsering decided to hire the lawyer. The month flew by and the second interview date arrived. Tsering and Jennifer met the lawyer at INS. Just as promised, her mere presence delivered success. Tsering came out of the interview with a beaming smile on his face. He passed. Jennifer’s Mom and sister had come out to visit for the occasion and while Jennifer and Tsering were at the interview, Maureen and Carol had secretly decorated their apartment with patriotic streamers, banners and balloons. When Tsering opened the door, he walked into a sea of red, white, and blue streamers that were hanging from the ceiling. Maureen, Carol and little baby Maureen were all wearing goofy headbands that had star-adorned antennae attached to them. They blew noise makers and shouted, “Congratulations, Tsering! You’re an American!” They all laughed and hugged Tsering.

Now that the obstacle of the interview was behind them, Jennifer and Tsering were excited to start planning their long-awaited trip home to Tibet. Once Tsering was sworn-in and received his official Certificate of US Citizenship, he would be able to apply for a US Passport. His ceremony was just a few weeks away. Jennifer started to shop around for flights to China and research the Tibetan permit application process. The Chinese Embassy made it very difficult to obtain any information. The only information available was a link to a Chinese Travel Agency on the Chinese Consulate’s website and the statement that all travel to Tibet was to be conducted through government-approved tours. Tsering and Jennifer had no interest in going home to Tibet as tourists. They needed permission to visit Tashi’s hometown for a longer period of time than the typical ten day tour package that visited Lhasa and its environs. Jennifer tried calling the Consulate for more information but she was simply told that all visitors to Tibet must get permits through Chinese travel agencies. They would have to go to the Consulate in person to inquire any further.

Tsering’s swearing-in ceremony was very touching. A class of elementary school-aged children had written personal messages to each new citizen and a sapling tree was gifted to each one as well. The very same day that Tsering officially became a US Citizen at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Albany, Jennifer took him to the post office to apply for his passport. They also made a passport application for their two year old, little Maureen. Six weeks later the passports arrived and they were ready to visit the Chinese Consulate in New York City to apply for visas and Tibet permits.

The Consulate was extremely busy and the customer service was practically nonexistent. Jennifer filled out the visa applications and put Tibet down as their final destination in China. When they reached the front of the line and passed the application through the window, the Chinese clerk looked up at them suspiciously when she saw the word “Tibet” written on their visa application. “You have invitation letter? What is your business in Tibet?” the clerk asked.

“We want to visit my husband’s family in Tibet.”

“Your husband is Chinese?”

“No, he is American.”

“Then how does he have family in China?”

“His family lives in Tibet. He lives in America now. We want to go visit them.”

“Do you have invitation letter?”

“No. What is an invitation letter?”

“Travel to Tibet you will need invitation letter from local government in husband’s family’s hometown.”

“So there is no way to apply for a visa without this invitation letter?”

“You can apply for Chinese visa. Just no Tibet. Tibet need invitation letter. Or you travel with Chinese Travel Agency Permit.”

“We don’t want to travel with a travel agency. My husband is Tibetan. We want to travel independently and visit with his family.”

“You just cross ‘Tibet’ off your application then. You apply for Chinese Visa only. When you get to China you can find a travel agency there who help you get Tibet permit.”

Tsering and Jennifer were confused about how to proceed. Jennifer asked Tsering if it was possible to get an invitation letter sent to them before they applied. Tsering thought it would not be possible. He thought it would be better to take the clerk’s advice and simply apply for the Chinese visa now and worry about the Tibet permit later. Jennifer was nervous that they might not succeed in getting permission to travel to Tibet and end up risking time and expense just to hit a dead-end in mainland China. She was not at all interested in touring China on her summer vacation. She was only interested in passing through en route to Tsering’s home in Tibet. They decided to take the clerk’s advice and apply for the Chinese visas only. They payed the same-day service fee to save them a trip back to the City later that week. They then took a trip down to Chinatown while they waited for their visas to be processed.

They returned to the Consulate in the early afternoon to pick-up their passports. If all had gone well, there would be Chinese visas inside them. The line outside the Consulate extended down the long concrete sidewalk. So many people were picking up visa just like them. Most of them were Chinese, probably going home to visit family, too. Jennifer noticed there were occasional other westerners in the line as well. The line moved quickly and passports were distributed in a much more efficient fashion then the morning application madness. When Jennifer approached the window and gave the clerk her application receipt, he quickly found three passports with a rubber band tied around them and asked for payment. They had been successfully granted visas. Whether or not they would be granted permission to enter Tibet was still unknown, but they could at least get into China and try.

Jennifer booked tickets through a Korean airline called Asiana. They would fly through San Francisco and Seoul en route to Chengdu, China, the capital of the Southwestern province of Szechaun. In preparation for his big return home, Tsering asked Jennifer if they could bring a large sum of money with them to offer his family. He had been discussing the possibility of purchasing some land with his brothers with the intent of building a hotel in his hometown. Now that they had a good chance of going home, Tsering was hoping to make this dream a reality. Jennifer and Tsering had been able to save a sum of money over the course of the year with her extra income as a public school teacher. As homeowners now they also qualified for a home equity loan. Jennifer agreed with Tsering that investing in his hometown with his family would be auspicious. It would be their small way of buying a little piece of Tibet back from the Chinese and putting it back in the hands of Tibetans. The income from the hotel would benefit Tsering’s family greatly as well.

That night back in Albany, Jennifer booked their flight reservations. They had everything they needed to finally return home to Tibet. Tsering called his family and shared the good news with them. They would fly out the day after the last day of school and arrive in Chengdu, China thirty-six hours later. They would stay in a Tibetan neighborhood in Chengdu where they would try to obtain permits to travel to Tibet. According to most westerners they met, the preferred route into Tibet was via Chengdu. Six weeks remained before their debut flight. Both Jennifer and Tsering slept very lightly in anticipation of their journey.

The final days before their voyage, Jennifer and Tsering started to pack. They had been granted 90 day visas by the Chinese government but were planning to be away for just six weeks total. Tsering had asked his boss for extended vacation time in order to be able to travel home. His boss was a kind man who appreciated Tsering’s work ethic and calm personality so he allowed him leave from the job for up to two months. They were able to pack everything they personally needed for the trip in two large suitcases. They would be allowed to take four more large suitcases since they had three tickets. They decided to fill the other bags with as many clothes, jackets, shoes and items they could to gift to the family. Tsering had many nieces and nephews as well as brothers and sisters that would enjoy western clothes. At that time in rural Tibet, it was hard to find clothing items like blue jeans, down jackets and sneakers. Many of Jennifer and Tsering’s friends and family members generously donated items to send to the family and villagers in Tibet.

The weekend before their journey began, Jennifer and Tsering took a trip to Padme Samye Ling to say goodbye to the Khenpo Rinpoches and receive their blessings for the trip. The Rinpoches were excited for the young family’s journey home. They, too, came from the same region of Tibet in Kham, Riwoche, sharing the same dialect with Tsering. The Rinpoches had never returned back to Tibet since their escape to India when the Chinese first invaded Tibet. As monks and established Buddhist Teachers, it was very difficult to obtain visas from the Chinese government. Tsering’s low profile made it easier for him to travel home from exile. They were very happy for Tsering that he would soon be reunited with his family members in their shared homeland. They requested the young couple to try to make contact with their long-lost family members. They had cousins who still lived in the village of Doshul located near the base of the great mountain Jowo Zegyal. It would be very difficult to gain access to this remote part of Riwoche county, but Tsering and Jennifer promised the Rinpoches they would try their best. At this point they weren’t even sure if they would be granted access into Tibet at all, so the chances of getting to make pilgrimage to the Khenpos’ village and monastery were slim. At the end of their visit, the Lamas chanted prayers over the young family and offered them each a white katag as blessings for a safe journey and safe return. They also offered them each an envelope with money in it as is Tibetan custom whenever a friend or family member is about to embark on a journey. Called a “Shokja,” this money is used to “drink tea” during the trip. Jennifer and Tsering were so honored to receive the precious blessings of the Rinpoches. They felt an extra wind in their sails and worries about getting access into Tibet receded.

Since their flight initiated out of Boston, they drove to Jennifer’s mother’s house in Gloucester the day before. Maureen was very worried about their trip to Tibet and was not able to share in their excitement. She feared the many things that could possibly go wrong– danger for Tsering as a Tibetan exile, danger of altitude sickness, food poisoning and other developing-world country pathogens, and general other-side-of-the-world phobias that people who are not prone to travel harbor. Jennifer tried to assure her Mom as much as possible that they had taken all the necessary precautions– they had visited the doctor and were up-to-date on all their vaccinations for travel to that part of the world, they had valid visas from the Chinese government and were going to procure the necessary permits to gain access to Tibet. They would not do anything stupid or take any chances by violating any rules or regulations while inside China. Despite Jennifer’s efforts to assure her mother, Maureen cried when they left early the next morning to drive into the airport. Maureen was very fond of her grand-daughter and had a difficult time seeing her leave for such a far-away and foreign destination. Jennifer explained that it was important for little Maureen to know her Tibetan family, too, that she had a Tibetan grandmother who had yet to meet her and many aunts, uncles, and cousins there, too, who she needed to know. Maureen understood this but it did not help her worried heart.

Once at the terminal, they bid their final good-byes to Maureen who had kindly offered to drive them into the airport. They checked in their luggage and boarded the plane. The three flights to Chengdu went smoothly and within thirty-six hours they arrived in China. Tsering’s family had told him that they should find a taxi to take them to the Tibetan neighborhood near the Wuhouci Temple. They hired one of the green VW Jetta taxicabs to take them into the city. The driver was familiar with Wuhouci and gave them a reasonable quote based on the distance and their luggage. They were just able to squeeze all of their bags into the cab with themselves. Jennifer held their daughter Maureen tightly on her lap since they were traveling without a child car seat. As the taxi sped along the airport highway into the city center, Jennifer remarked how similar the tropical climate was to India and even Florida. Chengdu was definitely much more developed then Delhi, though, with its complex system of infrastructure and high rises. Jennifer appreciated the lush variety of greenery and blooms that decorated the city streets and apartment balconies. Although the air quality was noticeably polluted– the blue sky was permanently hidden by a thick layer of grey smog– the city streets were kept impeccably clean by a hard-working task force of Chinese women in orange suits.

Jennifer knew that they were entering the Tibetan quarter as soon as she recognized the red and saffron robes of monks and lamas and the thick black wool chupas of the Khampa nomads. “This must be Wuhouci, Tsering-la. Look at all the Tibetans here! I wonder if you’ll bump into anyone you know!” Tsering smiled nervously at Jennifer when she said this. This was Tsering’s first visit back home since he left as a monk. Now he was returning after six years with an American wife and child. He was anxious about the reunion with his family and not necessarily prepared to see any of his friends from his days as a monk in shedra. The taxi stopped at the side of the road and the driver turned to say, “Wuhouci.” Jennifer looked at the meter and took out one hundred RMB to pay the fare. Tsering’s brother, Pempa, who had come to Chengdu on business before, recommended they stay in a hotel called the “Xinong Droti.” Jennifer asked Tsering to mention the hotel’s name to the driver. It turned out that the hotel was just at the end of the block they were on. It was the first large hotel at the beginning of the Tibetan quarter. The driver helped them unload their luggage and was off. As they started to pull their luggage up to the hotel stairs, a doorman walked over to them with a luggage cart to assist them. Jennifer entered the marble lobby and approached the front desk while Tsering played with Maureen on the front steps. She checked them in to a mid-rate room with two twin beds. The doorman brought them up the elevator to their room which was located on the fourth floor. Their room was clean and comfortable with a private bath. Hot water in a thermos, tea cups and jasmine tea packets were brought to them immediately. Jennifer had not expected this level of service and accommodations in China. She was pleasantly surprised. Tsering suggested that Jennifer and Maureen stay and rest in the hotel a bit while he went to find a phone to telephone his family about their safe arrival. Jennifer was exhausted by the long flight and was suffering from jet lag. It was mid-afternoon in China but the middle of the night back home in New York. Jennifer found a children’s channel on the TV for Maureen and then jumped into the shower in an effort to keep herself awake and freshen up. Maureen was intrigued by the Monkey King fantasy show that her mother had found for her to watch. A magic monkey with supernatural abilities flew through the air as he went on various adventures with a Buddhist lama, talking Pig, and a General. After her shower, Jennifer enjoyed watching the Monkey King with Maureen while she sipped jasmine tea on her bed.

Tsering returned with freshly cut watermelon he had purchased at the fruit market just beside the hotel. Maureen devoured the majority of it as she repeated the Chinese word for watermelon–“Xigua”– after her father. The tea and watermelon gave Jennifer a second wind and she decided to take a walk outside. It was too early to call back home in the States– everyone would still be sleeping. Jennifer promised to contact her family once they had arrived safely in China, however, so she found an internet cafe where she could write a quick e-mail. The street they were staying on was lined with all kinds of Tibetan shops, each specializing in specific products like tangkhas, prayer flags & khatags, statues and ritual items, or jewelry & accessories. She couldn’t wait to browse the products for their new business venture back home. But first on Jennifer’s mind was how and when they were going to get permits to travel to Tibet. She returned back to their hotel room and found Tsering talking on the phone with his brother. Tsering had given Pemba the hotel phone and room number so he could call them directly. They were discussing all the possible options to get them into Tibet. Tsering’s brother, Pemba, offered to drive to Chengdu to pick them up but that wouldn’t solve their permit issues. They might be able to get to Tsering’s home this way, but as soon as the local authorities found out that they were there, they would be immediately escorted out without the proper permits. Jennifer and Tsering wanted to be sure to follow all the protocol and regulations so as to not leave anything to risk for future visits. Tsering told Pemba that they would ask around the neighborhood the next day and told him to call them back tomorrow at the same time for an update.

Meanwhile, while Tsering was chatting away, Jennifer and Maureen had fallen into a light sleep on the bed. Jennifer half-registered that Tsering was going out to find them all something to eat for dinner before she fell into a much deeper sleep. When Tsering returned with Chinese restaurant food in plastic bags, he was left alone to eat it. His wife and child were so deep in slumber he was unable to rouse them. Around 3 AM both Maureen and Jennifer were wide awake, watching Chinese television again and grateful for the two portions of Chinese food Tsering had brought them earlier. For some reason or another, Tsering had the uncanny ability to immediately adjust to local time when he traveled. Unfortunately for Jennifer, it took her up to a week’s time to adjust to the twelve hour time change. It seemed that Maureen had inherited her mother’s genes when it came to time change and jet lag.

The next morning, the family went down to the hotel breakfast room where the complimentary breakfast was served. Neither Jennifer nor Tsering had ever seen such an extensive, healthy, delicious breakfast buffet in all their lives. A dozen different hot vegetarian dished were served– assortments of green vegetables she had never tasted before, tofu, beans, steamed breads, eggs, and rice soup were just some of the offerings. They both remarked how smart Chinese culture was in regards to diet. They filled up in anticipation of a long day’s work in search of Tibet permits. It was only eight o’clock in the morning but it was already quite hot and humid outside. They made sure to purchase a few bottles of water at the corner store next to their hotel before they ventured on. Maureen was strapped into her stroller and they headed into the heart of the Tibetan quarter to feel the situation out. They passed by an airline ticketing office and Jennifer suggested they inquire inside. She asked about flights to Lhasa and was told that there were six flights daily from Chengdu. They were priced at roughly one hundred dollars a seat. She was told, however, that a Tibet permit was required for purchase. Jennifer inquired where she might obtain one and the agent told to get one from a travel agency. The agent told her that many of the large hotels in the city had travel agencies in them that could help. Tsering asked a Tibetan shopkeeper about which hotels had travel agencies in them and was directed to a large hotel just off the main intersection at the center of the neighborhood. They found the hotel and were told by the travel agent that they were not allowed to issue Tibet permits to foreigners out of their office. The agent was quite rude with them and Jennifer couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not. It seemed he definitely wanted nothing to do with them as he gave them the cold shoulder. Jennifer wondered if it had to do with the fact that Tsering was Tibetan.

Tired from walking and frustrated by the lack of progress, they decided to sit down at one of the many Tibetan restaurants and drink some tea. Tsering ordered a small thermos of Boja from a young Tibetan waitress. Tsering was confused when the young girl was unable to understand his Tibetan. He ended up having to communicate with her in Chinese. Many of the young Tibetans who were born in Chengdu or outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region were unable to speak their Mother Tongue. They went to Chinese schools and were unable to read, write or even speak the Tibetan language. While drinking tea, Tsering overheard some other customers speaking in his native dialect of Kham. He introduced himself and explained his situation, asking for any leads. The Khampas were friendly but not much help. Jennifer remembered that she had spoken with some other Westerners on the flight over about where they would be staying in Chengdu. Apparently there was a large, five-star hotel at the other end of the city called “Tibet Hotel” that catered to westerners. Jennifer was pretty sure they would be able to get the service they were looking for there.

After tea, they went out to the street to find a taxi. Tsering asked the driver to take them to Tibet Hotel in Chinese– “Xizang Droti.” The driver recognized the hotel’s name and off they went. The Tibet Hotel was located in the center of the business district of the city where everything looked much more modern and high class in comparison to where they were staying. The lobby was stunning with high cathedral ceilings and decorated with antique Tibetan furniture and art. Jennifer asked the concierge for the travel agency and was directed down the hall and to the left. A well-groomed Chinese woman dressed in a suit welcomed them to seats at her desk and served them tea. Jennifer explained their situation to her and she told them that she normally only issued Tibet permits to tourists who were willing to join an official government tour. It was not routine to issue Tibet permits to individuals who were traveling independently. Jennifer emotionally expressed her frustration to the woman who surprisingly seemed to have a sense of empathy for Tsering’s situation. She told them she would inquire with the headquarters in Lhasa who made the ultimate decisions and that they should leave their passports with her. She told them that if they were approved, it would cost 500 RMB per permit. She explained that as it was the middle of the week, she would not have an answer until at least next Monday. They would just have to wait. Since they had no other choice and were grateful to have finally gotten somewhere with their search, they decided to leave their passports with the agent and hope for the best. Tsering was upset that the price of a permit to travel to his own home was so high, but Jennifer reminded him that he was traveling on an American passport and was viewed as a tourist like her. It was a shame that he could not just go home freely but had to pay and request permission.

Knowing that they had at least four days in front of them with no chance of travel to Tibet, Tsering and Jennifer decided to book a tour as suggested to them by the Khenpo Rinpoches. Jennifer and Tsering had been calling the Rinpoches with updates about their situation since their arrival in Chengdu. The Rinpoches told them to enjoy their time in Chengdu and to take the downtime to do some sight-seeing. So Jennifer visited the small travel agency located in the lobby of their hotel. The Chinese agent suggested they join a 3-day tour of the top attractions of Szechuan Province. Listed on the tour’s itinerary was a visit to the Holy Mount Emei and the Giant Leshan Buddha. They were told by the agent that the tour was a complete package– hotel, meals, travel, guide, and tickets all inclusive. Jennifer thought it sounded like a great deal but worried about the language barrier. Tsering knew a few expressions in Chinese, but she had noticed that he relied heavily on help from Tibetan people in the neighborhood when interacting with non-English speaking Chinese. She asked if the tour guide would speak English. She was assured that most definitely the guide would be an English speaker. That sealed the deal for her. They booked the tour and went to bed early. The bus would be picking them up just after breakfast at 7:30 the next morning.

After enjoying the delicious breakfast buffet at the Xinong Hotel, Jennifer and Tsering brought their luggage down to storage in the lobby and checked out of their room. The bus arrived at 7:30 as scheduled to pick them up. Several Chinese people were also waiting in the lobby to join the same tour. As they boarded the small tour bus, Jennifer realized they were the only non-Chinese tourists on the bus. Not only that, she soon realized that they were probably the only English speakers as well when the tour guide started to ask them questions in Chinese. Neither Jennifer or Tsering could understand what he was saying. Luckily a young student seated at the back of the bus came forward to translate for them. He was very kind and enthusiastically put his school-room English to practical use. The tour guide seemed relieved as well that someone on the bus could speak enough English to act as a translator for the Americans. The rest of the passengers were all intrigued by their American friends and were especially intrigued by Tsering the Tibetan. Over the course of the three days they spent together, they all became good friends, even without a common language to speak. The Chinese tourists were very excited to share their culture with the American family and especially enjoyed the presence of a young child on the tour. They all took turns playing with Maureen and were fascinated by her. They had never seen a child of mixed race before. It soon became apparent to Jennifer that most of Szechuan Province hadn’t either. Every where they went, they were followed by a huge crowd of onlookers. Everyone wanted to hold Maureen or take a picture with her. She was a shy child and only a lucky few were able to get their prized shot. Jennifer felt like she was a celebrity being followed by the paparazzi. Between her own striking red hair and freckled features and the bi-racial beauty of her daughter, it was hard for them to go unnoticed.

The tour was a huge success. The visit to the Leshan Buddha was incredible. Built around 750 AD, it is the largest carved stone Buddha statue in the world. Carved out of a red stone cliff face, it sits at the edge of the confluence of three rivers. Tsering carried Maureen in a pack on his back while they climbed down the narrow stairs carved into the cliff wall to the base of the statue. Standing at the feet of the Giant Buddha they felt dwarfed in time and space. Jennifer noticed that there was a group of Tibetan Lamas standing just at the base of the statue who were making offerings and prayers. After offering their own prayers, Jennifer and Tsering followed their tour guide’s red flag back up the steps on the opposite side of the cliff. Once at the top of the cliff again, Jennifer noticed an interesting brass line marking the stone path where they stood. She followed the line and read the names of various cities across the globe such as Rio, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Berlin, St. Petersburgh, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Tokyo, and finally Leshan. At the end of the line was a beautiful brass rose set into the stone ground. Jennifer had recently read Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” in which she learned about the Rose Line. She was surprised to find the Rose Line popping up all the way over here in China. Near the rose was a plaque that explained that the Rose Line was a prime meridian that ran through many of the world’s most sacred spots, one of them being the Giant Leshan Buddha.

The next day, the tour took them directly across the river to Mount Emei, the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China which is regarded as the place of Enlightenment of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. Mount Emei is a major pilgrimage site and hundreds of tour groups like their own were there as well to take in the natural beauty of the bamboo-covered mountain, wild monkey groves, tea houses, monasteries, and temples. They started their climb up the first of many sets of stone stairs that wound their way throughout the mountain park to the various peaks that surrounded Mount Emei. At the summit of each peak was a beautiful and ancient Chinese Taoist or Buddhist temple full of sacred objects. Monks and nuns took meticulous care of each one and the pilgrims all made generous offerings of incense, fruit, prayer and money. Jennifer’s favorite stop on the temple circuit housed an especially sacred statue of Samantabhadra Buddha riding a white elephant with six tusks. Something that struck Jennifer and Tsering as odd was the ancient practice of human escalators being used by many of the tourists. As the temples were only accessible by foot and stair, many people paid “coolies” to carry them on their backs in bamboo palanquin chairs. Jennifer had grown accustomed to the rickshaws in the city and had hired them from time to time to get around. But she was really disgusted by the slave-like labor being perpetuated by these tourists who rode on the backs of the “coolies” as if they were animals. She understood that perhaps if someone was injured or elderly there could be justification for such a practice when no other choice was available. But most of the people being carried seemed healthy and young. If they had any excuse for their laziness it would have been the fact that they were overweight.

Little Maureen’s favorite stop on the tour was the wild monkey feeding ground. When they arrived at the monkey grounds, there was not a monkey in sight. They waited for fifteen minutes or so, wandering across the wooden foot bridges to the tree houses that allowed the tourists to get up at tree level to feed the monkeys. They were about to give up on any chance of seeing monkeys that day when they heard one of the tourists shouting as he pointed to a hill in the distance. Jennifer could see entire groups of trees shaking and swaying as the monkey troop made its way toward the feeding ground. As the monkeys grew closer, she could hear them shouting and calling in excitement. Jennifer and Tsering threw peanuts to the monkeys while Maureen looked on nervously at the aggressive and fearless creatures.

On the third day the tour group headed back into Chengdu. Tsering and Jennifer were dropped off at their hotel and their new Chinese friends all bid them farewell. Jennifer thanked the kind, young student whose American name was “Jack” for all his help with translating. Jack had asked them during their visit to Mount Emei if they had ever had the opportunity to meet the “Living Buddha” in America. Jennifer was surprised to hear this question coming from someone inside China. When she told him that they both had met the “Living Buddha” on several occasions, Jack was amazed. He told her he had never spoken to anyone who had seen him before. He thought they were very lucky and blessed. Jennifer learned from this trip that the Chinese people are very devoted Buddhists who are going through a renaissance of faith. It gave her hope for the country of China.

The next day was Monday and Jennifer and Tsering headed straight back to the Tibet Hotel on the other side of town to check in on their Tibet permits. They were greeted by the Chinese travel agent whom they had met the week before. She had good news for them. Their permits were approved and they would be able to travel to Lhasa as soon as they could book tickets. Jennifer asked the agent if she could book tickets for them. The agent told her that of course she could, but that they could probably get a much better price back in Wuhuoci or even better directly at the airline office. The Tibet Hotel was a five-star accommodation that catered to wealthy Western tourists. Her airfare prices included hefty service charge fees. She gave the address of Air China’s main branch office in Chengdu. Jennifer paid her for their permits and thanked her for all her help.

Jennifer and Tsering found a green VW cab and headed straight for Air China. They were able to purchase tickets for the following day. With permits and airline tickets in hand, they drove back to Wuhuoci where they immediately found a phone to share the good news with Tsering’s family in Tibet. Tsering’s cousin, Rinchen Wangyal, a professional tour guide who drove a Land Cruiser, offered to meet them at the airport and drive them to another cousin’s home where they would stay while they were in Lhasa. They still were unsure about how or when they would eventually get to Tsering’s hometown in Kham, Riwoche, but at this point they were riding the wave of good fortune to have been granted access to Lhasa. Jennifer’s dreams of visiting Tibet were soon to be a reality and Tsering was just hours away from reunion with dear family members in the holy capital city of his motherland. Excitement and nerves kept them awake most of the night.